DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s application 18/383,035 filed on October 23, 2023 in which claims 1 to 5 are pending.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
The drawings submitted on October 23, 2023 have been reviewed and accepted by the Examiner.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS), filed on October 23, 2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosed therein has been considered by the Examiner.
Notation
References to patents will be in the form of [C:L] where C is the column number and L is the line number. References to pre-grant patent publications will be to the paragraph number in the form of [xxxx].
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 5 which recites a height of the bump is less than ¼ the height of the first fin shape structure, it is unclear to Examiner what datum, reference structure, is used to measure the bump height. Examine understands the bump is a textured surface with some depth. It is unclear at what point on the surface and at what depth of the bump is used for claim ‘height’. The claim appears to depend upon variable not defined by the claim hence indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. 2018/0337251 (Chang).
Regarding claim 1 Chang discloses at annotated Figure 2B and 12B a semiconductor device, comprising:
a first fin-shaped structure, 403A [0024], and a second fin-shaped structure, 403C [0024], on a substrate, 101 [0015]; and
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a bump, as annotated, between the first fin-shaped structure and the second fin-shaped structure, as shown, wherein a top surface of the bump comprises a curve concave upward, as annotated and shown.
Regarding claim 2 which depends upon claim 1, Chang teaches a first recess, as annotated, between the first fin-shaped structure and the bump, as shown; and a second recess, as annotated, between the second fin-shaped structure and the bump, as shown.
Regarding claim 3 which depends upon claim 1, Chang teaches a width of the bump ranges from 100 to 1000 A at [0022], which is greater than twice the width of the first fin-shaped structure, which is reported to range from 100-1000 A at [0022] in the case where with width of the bump is 1000 and the width of the fin is 100 and 1000 is greater than 200.
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Regarding claim 4 which depends upon claim 2, Chang teaches a width of the bump ranges from 100 to 1000 A at [0022], which is greater than three times the width of the first fin-shaped structure which is reported to be between 100 and 1000 at [0022] in the case where 1000 A is greater than 300 A.
Regarding claim 5 which depends upon claim 2, Chang teaches a height of the bump, H5, is between 10 and 200 A [0041], which is less than one fourth of the height of the first fin-shaped structure which Chang reports is 50 to 100 A [0024] in the case of a fin height of 100 A and a bump height of 10 A, i.e. 10 is less than ¼ x 100.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is listed on the notice of references cited.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joe Schoenholtz whose telephone number is (571)270-5475. The examiner can normally be reached M-Thur 7 AM to 7 PM PST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ms. Yara Green can be reached at (571) 272-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.E. Schoenholtz/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893